


Santa Baby, Slip a Superhero into a Box for Me

by therealjanebingley



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Christmas Time, F/M, IDENTITY SHENANIGANS, Identity Reveal, LadyNoir - Freeform, LetAdrienEat2020, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, awkward kiddos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28274271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therealjanebingley/pseuds/therealjanebingley
Summary: There's an akuma with the ability to give everyone their heart's desire for Christmas.But when your heart's desire is your crush, and your crush has a secret identity...who's going to show up under your tree?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 29
Kudos: 193





	1. Sit on Saint Christmas' Lap and Tell Her What You Want

**Author's Note:**

> A Christmas love square story for ya - I'll try to get subsequent chapters up as soon as I can!

Big, fat snowflakes drifted down on Paris as Adrien and Nino made their way towards the bakery. Adrien tugged his coat around himself, shivering. He was in the middle of another growth spurt, but his father hadn't called in the nutritionist to adjust his diet yet - so at the moment, he didn't have quite enough body fat to keep him warm. 

"You are not allowed to eat a salad today, Dude."

Adrien laughed, his breath visible in the frigid air. "For once I won't argue with you. I'm starving."

"You should stop by Marinette's parents' bakery more often," Nino suggested. "I'm sure she'll sneak you as many croissants as you want."

"I couldn't ask that of her," Adrien said, but his stomach grumbled just thinking about it.

Nino was smirking for some reason. He only really smirked when he talked about Marinette, and Adrien had yet to figure out why. "Dude, I doubt you'd even have to ask. Just tell her you're underfed, she'll be thrilled to help you."

"You think so?"

Nino was about to answer when a woman on the sidewalk in front of them started glowing red. The people closest to her scattered. Nino just sighed. "Akuma?"

Hawkmoth had been plaguing Paris with akuma for years now, so unless there was any imminent danger, peopled tended to go about their days as normally as possible. "Looks like it," Adrien said, pulling them both off to the side. "I should probably head home, you know how my dad is."

"Maybe Ladybug and Chat Noir will defeat it fast, and we can still meet up with Alya and Marinette," Nino said, craning his neck to look at the akuma. "Is that...is that Mrs. Claus?"

It certainly looked like Mrs. Claus. The akuma wore a red dress with fuzzy white trim, and a Santa hat over silver-grey curls. She peered at them through wire-rimmed glasses. "I am Saint Christmas, the ultimate gift giver!" she announced. "Citizens of Paris, I will give you whatever your heart desires most!" And then she pulled a cookie out of her pocket and hurled it straight at the two boys.

Nino yelped as Adrien shoved him out of the way. The cookie crumbled as it hit the model's side, and he braced himself for whatever was about to happen. Would he be turned into an elf and forced to make presents? Turned into a reindeer and forced to pull a sleigh? Stuffed in a gift box and delivered to his number one fan (probably Wayhem)? 

"Uh, dude?"

Adrien's head snapped up. The akuma blew him a kiss and flew away, tossing cookies at other people until she was out of sight.

"No, man, in front of you."

He glanced over at Nino, and then followed his friend's gaze. On the sidewalk in front of Adrien sat a big, square gift box; it came up to his hips, covered in holiday wrapping paper and a perfect green bow on top.

"Well," said Nino, "ready to see what your heart desires most?"

Adrien flinched, gripping his coat. His heart's desire? _Ladybug._ There was no way he was going to let Nino see the heroine of Paris wrapped up in a bow. "That seems personal," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't really want-"

A muffled, feminine voice came from the gift box. "Hello?"

The two boys stared at it. "Dude, is there a girl in there?" Nino whispered.

Adrien's mouth opened and closed several times. "Uh..."

"You have to let her out! You can't just leave the girl of your dreams in a box!"

"Nino-"

"I won't judge," Nino said, crossing his heart. "I just don't want her to suffocate."

Swallowing thickly, Adrien reached down and grasped the lid. Slowly, he pulled it off the box. And sitting inside, with a red bow on her inky black hair, was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

* * *

Marinette was having a fairly normal morning. She helped out in the bakery, sketched out a new design, and got ready for lunch with her friends. She was just stepping outside to meet Alya when all of a sudden, she wasn't.

Everything went pitch black. "Tikki?"

"I'm here, Marinette." Tikki's high-pitched voice brought her a measure of comfort.

"What's happening?"

"I can feel magic," Tikki answered. "We might be dealing with an akuma."

It was then that Marinette realized she was sitting. She reached out and felt a wall in front of her. There was one behind her, too, and one on either side. Four walls, a bottom, a top - she seemed to be in some kind of box, with just enough room for her to sit comfortably inside. The sides had a little give, so she was preparing to kick her way through when she heard voices nearby. "Hello?" she called.

The voices dropped in pitch, like they were whispering. Marinette waited a beat, still ready to force her way out, when the lid shifted and light streamed in. She blinked a few times, and as her vision cleared, she saw Adrien holding the lid and Nino standing next to him. Both boys were staring at her, eyes wide and mouths open. 

Then Nino pumped his fist and let out a triumphant yell. "I knew it! I _knew_ it!"

"Nino," Adrien hissed, hugging the lid to his chest. "This isn't - shut up!"

Marinette got to her feet and looked around. There were a few other people on the street standing in front of giant presents, too. Some, like hers, had people in them. Others seemed to have slips of paper or keys or even puppies. She turned back to the boys, who were in some kind of whisper-argument. Nino looked downright gleeful, and Adrien was pouting, his cheeks tinged red.

"Um," Marinette said, and they stopped talking to look at her. "I'm guessing there's an akuma?"

"Y-yep." Adrien wouldn't meet her gaze.

She shuffled around, still standing in the box. "What are its powers?"

"Well," Nino began, grinning widely, "it hits you with a cookie-"

"And then a present appears in front of you," Adrien interrupted, shooting a glare at his best friend. "We're not sure what the purpose is yet."

"Oh." Marinette's face flushed. She would gladly wrap herself up in a bow as a gift for Adrien if she thought she was on his Christmas list - but that probably wasn't the point of this akuma. Great, now she couldn't look at him, either. "Well, I should probably go check on my parents." She climbed out of the box and almost fell flat on her face, but Nino caught her.

The DJ made sure she was steady before saying, "Adrien's dad isn't letting him eat, can he come by your place for food when he's hungry?"

Adrien sighed. "Nino-"

"Of course!" In the Dupain-Cheng household, food was a love language. And such was the extent of her dismay at seeing Adrien too skinny (again) that she grabbed his hands without blushing at all. "You can come over any time, Adrien," she said earnestly, staring into his gorgeous green eyes. "I'll make sure Maman makes extra food for you."

The cold air was making Adrien's cheeks red - not that Marinette minded. He looked very cute that way. He stared down at their entwined hands, and then back up at her. "Th-thanks, Marinette."

She smiled brightly. "I should still go, though. Gotta make sure my parents are okay."

"Right!" Adrien snatched his hands back and rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to get home, too."

Nino looked back and forth between them, amusement clear on his face. "I should go find Alya and make sure she doesn't get in trouble."

Marinette jogged away, waving back at them. "See you guys later!"

As she turned the corner, she thought she could hear Nino laughing behind her.


	2. It's the Season of Giving and I'm Yours for the Taking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Chat Noir and Ladybug struggle with the implications of Adrien's supposed love for Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Michael Bublé for the title! 
> 
> Speed-wrote this chapter while my grandmother was taking a nap (lol)

Even as Chat Noir vaulted over the rooftops, he could still hear Nino's voice ringing in his ears.

_"Why are you denying it? You're obviously in love with Marinette!"_

_"No, Nino, I'm in love with someone else!"_

_"You were willing to kiss her for my movie."_

_"Well I didn't want to kiss Chloé-"_

_"You hand-made a lucky charm for her birthday."_

_"As a gift! You're supposed to give your friends-"_

_"You carry the lucky charm she gave you literally everywhere."_

_Adrien had no retort for this, as the lucky charm in question was in his pocket._

_"You cuddled with her on the train to London."_

_"She fell asleep on me, I wasn't going to be rude-"_

_"You loved it! You flirt with her all the time-" Nino counted every point on his fingers "-I've seen you wink at her, every time she talks you just smile like a lovesick puppy."_

_Lovesick_ cat _, Adrien thought grumpily._

He was in love with Ladybug. Nino was wrong. The akuma must be broken. 

Not that there was anything wrong with Marinette, of course! She was selfless and kind and liked to make people homemade gifts. She always stood up for what was right; she was the everyday Ladyb-

_Once they were alone, Plagg flew out of his coat. "So Pigtails, huh?"_

_"I don't want to talk about this, Plagg."_

_"It's no surprise, really. You did call her your everyday Ladybug."_

_"So what?"_

_"So you basically said she's exactly like the love of your life."_

Chat shook his head. This was a bad train of thought. For now, he needed to help Ladybug (his true heart's desire) defeat the akuma - there would be time for a mental breakdown later.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, he spotted (ha) Ladybug a few rooftops away. She was crouched at the edge next to a chimney, her face scrunched up in a way that meant she was coming up with a brilliant plan. Adorable.

He landed beside her. "My Lady."

"Hey, Chat." She turned to face him, pigtails bouncing and bluebell eyes sparkling with determination.

_Marinette took his hands, eyes wide and expression earnest. "I'll make sure Maman makes extra food for you."_

They looked so similar - they were so similar - if he hadn't seen them side-by-side fighting KwamiBuster, he would have thought they were the same person. 

And then he remembered that it wasn't just shock he felt when he saw them together. It was disappointment. 

He had been disappointed that Marinette wasn't the girl he was in love with.

Chat Noir shook his head, dispelling the thought. "So, what's the plan?"

"I can't quite figure out what the akuma does," Ladybug said, squinting back toward the street. "It keeps yelling about how it's the 'perfect gift giver', and if it hits you with a cookie, you get a present. But I'm not sure what the presents are supposed to be."

"I talked to some people on the way here," Chat lied. "Apparently, whatever's in the box is the deepest desire of your heart."

And with that, Ladybug fell off the roof.

* * *

Only years of fighting akuma gave Ladybug the reflexes she needed to catch herself. Even as her mind reeled, her arm swung her yoyo up, where it caught on the chimney. She was almost in a daze as she slid down her yoyo line. When her feet hit the street, she promptly fell on her butt.

Chat Noir peered down over the edge of the building. "LB?"

She made a noncommittal noise. He dropped down beside her, his concerned face hovering in her periphery. "Are you okay?"

"The deepest desire?" Ladybug stared straight ahead. "Of your heart?"

The deepest desire of Adrien Agreste's heart was...her? Marinette?

"That's what she's saying." Chat squatted down next to her, waving a hand in front of her face. "But I'm pretty sure her powers are broken."

That snapped Ladybug out of her daze. "Broken? What do you mean, broken?"

"Um." He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous tick she rarely got to see (battles did not make her partner nervous). "Well, I got hit with it. Earlier. As a civilian."

She stared up at him. "And?"

Chat shrugged. "You weren't in the box."

"I-" She sent him a glare. "That's not definitive proof, Chaton. Maybe I'm not really what your heart desires."

"No, you are," he corrected, helping her to her feet. "Like I said, the akuma's broken."

Ladybug crossed her arms. "No akuma has ever 'broken' like that. It's not what they do."

"Then maybe it's lying."

"Why would it lie?"

"Bugaboo-"

"How could lying about what's in the boxes possibly serve Saint Christmas? Or Hawkmoth?"

"I don't know!" Chat Noir ran a hand through his hair, irritated. "Why did you fall off the roof?"

_Because Adrien might be in love with me._

"I just lost my balance." She tugged her yoyo down from the chimney. "Let's go fight the akuma, okay?"

The pair tracked Saint Christmas a few streets over and Chat Noir leapt into action. He taunted the akuma ("What if the deepest desire of my heart is to find out Hawkmoth's identity? Would you put him in a box?"), dodging cookie projectiles with ease. Ladybug watched from the sidelines, trying to pinpoint the corrupted object - there was probably something hidden in the pocket she kept reaching into. 

Chat seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because he lunged at Saint Christmas, one clawed hand outstretched. 

The akuma backhanded him. Hard.

"Chat!"

Ladybug jumped out of her hiding place as her partner sailed across the street, landing out of her line of sight.

"Say thank you, Ladybug!"

The heroine turned just in time to see Saint Christmas throw a gingerbread cookie at her, but not in time to dodge it. The cookie dissolved as it hit her arm. All of her muscles tensed. But all she saw was the sudden appearance of a gift in front of her.

It was about the size of the box she'd been trapped in - but this one was covered in red and green plaid wrapping paper, with a big white bow sitting on top. 

"Let's see what Ladybug desires most, shall we?" Saint Christmas advanced on the box, hands outstretched. 

_Adrien._

Ladybug wrapped her arms around the box, hoisted it up, and sprinted away. She hurtled over cars, trash cans, and strollers, weaving through alleyways to lose the akuma. The box jostled in her arms, a faint _ow_ coming from inside.

Once she was sure she was alone, Ladybug sat the present down, panting. Should she open it? How could she explain to Adrien that she, Ladybug, heroine of Paris, loved him? Would he be happy? Would he be disgusted? 

Would he wish she was Marinette?

"Uh, can I come out?" the box asked.

Ladybug's eyes snapped back to it. Slowly, in a dreamlike haze, she lifted the lid off of it.

Inside, with a little green bow between his ears, sat Chat Noir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Next time: identity reveal, and everything makes sense (maybe some smooches, too)


	3. The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is a Mutual Love Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two lovebirds bicker with each other, and argue with the akuma over the technicalities of her power. 
> 
> And in the end, they get the best Christmas present of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's identity reveal time, baby!
> 
> Thanks for waiting for me - I've been spending time with family the past few days and its been great :)

Ladybug slammed the lid back on the box. "You're right. Her powers are broken."

"I think they're fixed now," came the muffled reply.

"Nope." She strolled away, back towards the akuma. "She's either lying or she's broken."

A soft _whump_ came from behind her. Ladybug turned to see Chat sitting up, chin resting on the edge of the box, the lid sitting on the snowy rooftop a few feet away. "I see how it is. When I get the wrong gift, I'm in denial. But when you get the wrong gift-"

"I'm saying you were right the whole time," she told him. 

He sat up further, propping an elbow on the box and his chin in his hand. "And I'm saying I've changed my mind."

"Ugh!" Ladybug almost stomped her foot. But she was a superhero, and she had better control of her emotions than that. "What about the person who showed up in your box? Are you saying they're your heart's desire?"

Chat actually blushed. Ladybug watched in fascination as his face turned bright red. "It - I don't," he stammered, and her mouth fell open. "It's not like that!"

"I think it might be like that," Ladybug said, wiggling her eyebrows. She had never seen her partner so flustered.

(And if she felt a twinge of jealousy, well. It wasn't because she wanted him to keep being flustered over her and not this random other girl. Not at all.)

"She's-" Chat scrambled to his feet. "I like her just fine as a friend, but that's it!"

At that, Ladybug crossed her arms. "Then why was she in your box?"

"Why was I in yours?" he shot back.

"Because the akuma is broken!"

"BROKEN!?"

Saint Christmas' bellow of rage startled Ladybug so much that she leapt several feet into the air, misjudged her landing, and fell directly on top of her partner. The box fell over, dumping both of them into the snow.

She blinked down at Chat, who she was sprawled on top of. He smirked. "Why, my Lady-"

"Make one joke about how I just 'fell for you', Chaton, and I'll punch you." Ladybug pushed herself off of him and turned to face Saint Christmas.

The akuma was staring at her with a fiery intensity, hands on her hips. "Everybody loves my gifts," she said, her voice far too sugary-sweet. 

"Don't get me wrong, Saint Christmas," Ladybug said as Chat took his place at her side, "my Kitty is a great gift, but you claim you're giving us the desires of our hearts. And you're not."

"That's false advertising," Chat pointed out. To Ladybug, he whispered, "You could just admit you want me, LB."

"So what, I want you and you want someone else?" she hissed back. "Doesn't that sound a little backwards?"

"Stop whispering!" Saint Christmas demanded. "My gifts are always perfect. Hawkmoth has given me new sight." She tapped her wire-rimmed glasses. "I can see what's in your hearts - both of you. And I gave you what you wanted the most."

Ladybug crossed her arms. "That's just not true."

Saint Christmas growled and pulled a cookie out of her pocket. "If you didn't like my first gift, then let's see what else is in your heart." She hurled the cookie at Ladybug. The spotted heroine stood her ground.

At the last possible moment, Chat Noir slid in front of her, taking the hit. Just like he always did.

"Chat," she said, more annoyed than worried. She peered around her partner, looking for a box (and whatever girl could make him stutter and blush).

But there was no box. Instead, Saint Christmas' face contorted as she listened to Hawkmoth in her ear. "What do you mean? We had a deal! You can't just-!" And then the akuma disappeared in a flash of red light.

Ladybug and Chat Noir stared at the space where the akuma used to be. "I guess you really wanted this battle to be over," Ladybug said.

"I didn't want the victim to explode!" Chat clutched his hair. "Do you think I killed her?"

She jogged to the edge of the building and surveyed the street below. "No, she's down there. The police just got here." Ladybug looked back at her partner. "Should I - should I do my miraculous cure?"

He looked just as confused as she felt. "Maybe? Just to be safe?"

So she summoned her lucky charm (a gift receipt) and threw it up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Her magical little ladybugs sped around the city, though it was unclear whether they really had anything to do. 

"So..." Chat Noir said, leaning on his baton, "I was going to buy you a Christmas present, but it seems like I should just wrap myself up in a bow."

Ladybug groaned. "You're never going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope!" He returned the baton to its spot on his back and slung an arm around her shoulders. "I now have proof that I am what you want most in this world."

"No, you're not," she growled, pushing him away.

"Yes I am," he sang.

"You are not!"

"I am too!"

"Chat!" She put her hands on her hips, exasperated. "The only way you could be the deepest desire of my heart is if you were secretly Adrien Agreste!"

His mouth snapped shut.

Ladybug knew she'd gone too far. Chat was staring at her, face pale, eyes wider than she'd ever seen them. He looked like he was about two seconds from passing out. "I'm sorry," she said, reaching out to him, "I shouldn't have said that." She put a tentative hand on his arm, and he stared down at it. "Let's just forget all of this, okay?"

"Saint Christmas was right," he breathed, eyes drifting up to her face. "And if she was right, then that means...Marinette?"

Ladybug stumbled back. "What?"

"When I got hit as a civilian," Chat said, stepping towards her, "the person in my box was Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

_Adrien, cheeks pink, eyes bright, clutching the lid of his gift box._

"The akuma was right," he repeated. "I - I wanted Marinette to be Ladybug." His face fell. "Oh god, did I do this? I've seen Ladybug and Marinette next to each other - are you - are they - are you the same person? Have you always been, or did my magic-cookie-present-wish change the shape of reality?"

Chat's panicked face brought her out of her thoughts. She laughed, bright and loud and clear. "No, Chaton, you didn't do this. And if you had, my miraculous cure would have reverted everything back to its original state." Ladybug wrung her hands, glancing at him shyly. "When you got hit this morning, your gift should have been Ladybug. But I wasn't transformed at the time, so you got Marinette instead."

"And your gift should have been Adrien," he continued, "but I was transformed. So you got Chat Noir."

"The akuma wasn't broken," she said softly.

"The akuma wasn't broken," he agreed.

It was one thing to talk about it - detransforming and seeing it with their own eyes was something entirely different. Ladybug kicked at the snow before steeling herself and offering him her hand. "Together?"

Chat's smile was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. He took her hand. "Always."

They let their transformations go at the the same time. Marinette was suddenly overcome by nerves - she couldn't look at him. 

"Bug?" He squeezed her hand.

She returned the squeeze, took a deep breath, and turned her head. 

Adrien was giving her the same soft look Chat Noir always gave Ladybug when he thought she wasn't looking. Marinette melted. "Kitty?"

He tugged on her hand, pulling her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into his neck. "I thought for sure I'd figured out Ladybug was you," he mumbled into her hair, "but then I saw Ladybug and Marinette together at KwamiBuster." 

"I used the fox miraculous so you wouldn't figure out my identity," she said, snuggling in closer. 

"Mmm. I was very disappointed when I thought it wasn't you."

She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. "Really?"

"Really."

"When Chat Noir was blushing and stammering about the girl who showed up in his gift box...I was a little bit jealous."

His eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Really."

She could feel his arms around her, even through her coat, and she'd never felt so comfortably warm. "Based on Nino's reaction when he saw me in your box..."

Adrien groaned, leaning his head back in embarrassment.

"...he won't be surprised to hear we're dating."

His head snapped forward. "We're dating?"

Marinette moved one hand from his back to cup his face. "Well, there's no hiding how we feel about each other."

Adrien grinned. "I've never been so thankful for an akuma."

She wrapped her other arm around his neck and tugged him down. His lifts were soft and just a little bit chapped, and his nose was cold. He pulled her flush against him, slanting his mouth against hers in a way that made her shiver. In return, she bit down on his lower lip. He moaned in to her mouth, and that made her shiver, too.

Several minutes later, they moved back just enough to smile at each other. Bright red kiss-worn lips, pink cheeks, happy eyes.

"So as far as Christmas presents go...I can just wrap myself up and sit under your tree, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can decide who said that last line ;)
> 
> Plagg and Tikki are being nice and giving their chosen some alone time there at the end.
> 
> Also - about the akuma's defeat. The other deepest desire of Adrien's heart is for his father to really, truly love him :'( So when he got hit with the cookie, suddenly Hawkmoth realized his evil activities were hurting his son and he needed to make amends. So he got rid of the akuma. Unfortunately, whenever Ladybug cast her miraculous cure, Gabriel's heart shrunk back down. The explanation didn't seem to fit in the story, so it's here instead.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and for all your lovely comments!!


End file.
